Radiator



r. w. KNIGHT.

RADIATOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1918.

' Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I. W. KNIGHT.

RADIATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29.1918. 1,433,955.

Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

IRA. W. KNIGHT, F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION or new YORK.

RADIATOR.

' Application filed July 29,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ina IV. lxnienr, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Provldence, in the county ot Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radiators, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to improvements in radiators. More particularly it relates to radiators of internal combustion type, in which a gas or other hydro-carbon burner is closely associated with the radiator and the products of combustion are by artificial suction drawn off through the radiator and connecting pipes to some convenient place, usually in the basement, whence they are discharged to cutoff-doors, the greater part of their heat being extracted in theradiator. It is among the objects of the invention to provide a radiator of this type having freedom from internal corrosion; having a high degree of heating efiiciency; having safety, as respects damage to persons or things that may touch it when in normal operation, and as respects production of poisonous or explosive mixtures in case the apparatus fails to operate normally; and having at the same time simplicity, low cost, freedom from operative troubles, and the other advantages that characterize the construction hereinafter set forth. I

To attain these obj ects, the invention provides a radiator which has what will for convenience be called, primary, secondary, and tertiary heat transferring or so -called radiating portions. The primary and secondary portions comprise passages which directly convey the products of combustion and transfer their heat; and the tertiary are adjacent hollow spaces whose radiating walls receive the heat by indirect means.

The primary portion, which receives the hot products of flame, is guarded by the secondarv portion and by the tertiary portion from casual touch of persons. clothing or things. and is by its extremely hi gh temperature and by its location and surroundings adapted to set up powerful. currents for convection of heat from the radiator: the secondary contains the directly flowing products of combustion during their lower range of temperatures, after leaving the primary; and the tertiary contains only dead space or at the most eddy currents or slow moving 1918. Serial No. 247,137.

lateral. currents outside of the direct path, and heat receivedfrom the other portions. The tertiary constitutes the top, ends and upper parts of the sides of the radiator, and has a sort of cushioning eiiect; the secondary is the middle and lower part of the sides; and the primary is the interionenolosed by the other parts, yet freely exposed to air of the room, and internally in contact with the flow and impact'of hot gases of combustion.

The burner is close under the primary radiating portion, arranged so that normally combustion is aided by suction through the above described passages which remove the products of combustion, but so that it can automatically shift, it the suction tails, and as a safety measure will operate with complete combustion without use of the said passages. In that case the air for combustion comes to it without suction, and the products pass into the atmosphere direct from the flame. In this way it supplants safety. devices that have heretoforebeen provided for shutting 0d the supply of gas in case of failure of suction, with their floats, diaphragms, and incidental apparatus; it permits the apparatus to continue in operation with a certain measure of utility, notwithstanding interruption of the suction; it

is impossible for the air supply to tail; and the burner itself is reduced to the snnplest terms. with elimination of many problems that have hitherto clustered about this part of the apparatus.

Unless thus operating without suction, the products of combustion enter first the primary radiating; portion, moving upward; then turn downward into the secondary; and thus reach the hollow base from whose lowest point they are withdrawn. All interior passages have surfaces so arranged that they each either are drained by gravity or are swept by the current inducedby the suction and cannot hold water to more than a shalloiv depth. The continuous artificial draft then induces evaporation that maintains the interior 'Free from corrosion to a considerable degree. i

The invention is applicable in connection with liquid origaseous hydro-carbons or other combustible material, and may be embodied in various forms of apparatus. The specific apparatus herein described as an illustration shows how it may be applied with ordinary illuminating gas. The ends stated are attained by arranging a setting for an ordinary horizontal perforated pipe burner having suitable controlling devices for admission of gas and air, and for ignition, and whose discharge orifices are in the open air. The setting comprises a hood into which normally the products of combustion are drawn, theburner and hood being surrounded at top and on four sides by a cage of communicating passages which have heat radiating walls and are separated by air spaces. They conduct the gases from the top of the hood, after they have lost their extreme temperature, down to a suction manifold in the base, from whose lowest point gases are drawn and water drains into the suction pipe at a temperature approximating that of the surrounding air.

Itis intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is an end elevation of a radiator, with parts broken away to the section line indicated at 11 in Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, with a part broken away to the plane of a medial section;

Figure 3 is a plan of the same, in section on the line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a plan of the base; with the upper parts removed to its top at the level 44 of Figure 2.

The apparatus portrayed in the drawings has as principal parts a hollow base, made in two sections, 10 and 11, separable with horizontal cleavage. On this base stand end radiating sections 12 and intermediate sections 13, separable from each. other with vertical cleavage. Each intermediate section has medially an uptake passageway 14: for air, flame and gaseous products of combustion from the burner 15 which extends horizontally through all of these sections, longitudinally of the radiator, just below. There is a gas and air mixture supply pipe 16, a thermostatic control 17 for a valve therefor, an air inlet and shutter 18, and a tube for a constantly burning pilot light 19. The radiator is designed to be connected with a suction blower 20 or other mechanical means for extracting its gaseous contents continuously, which ordinarily will be set at a distance, as for example in the cellar, and will serve a considerable number of radiators. The strength of suction, through pipe 21, notwithstanding the varying distances of different radiators from the blower, may be made uniform or otherwise predetermined by the fixed setting of a valve 22 at the outlet 23 of the hollow in the base of the radiator.

.l vhether the hollow base be thus made in sections is a matter of option. Preferably, however, it is of a sort of H shape, the parallel hollows h through it at front and back of radiator being connected by a central neck h" which leads to the central outlet 23, through the bottom; and except for this neck the middle zone is open to air, as at h but may have cross stays 11' at the ends.

The base constitutes a vacuum pan or manifold for the tubular radiating sections that stand vertically upon it, for which purpose its top has openings 25 adapted to register therewith. As many intermediate radiating sections 13 as theapparatus is designed to have are tied together side by side by a horizontal bolt 26, and are individually held down to the base by bolts 27. These are preferably tubular iron castings of a modified U-form, inverted.

The U is modified by having the uptake passage 14 depending from its middle, and the heat cushion 29 surn'iounting its middle, both of which are important features of the invention. The depending uptake passage is midway between the two limbs of the U and has a continuously open entrance hood 80, immediately over the burner 15, which is preferably in the form of a simple horizontal'pipe drilledwith a row of holes and serves all of the intermediate sections. The surmounting heat cushion 29 is a squat inverted tubular U whose limbs are continuations of the limbs of the larger U and which connect interiorly therewith. The excessive ly hot products of combustion, rising through the uptake passage 14, impinge againstthe top 30 of the major U and are deflected thereby as by a baffle. This, and the under wall of the middle portion of the minorU, and the air space 31 intervening between these two keep the excessive heat awayfrom the top of the minor U. As they impinge against the top of the major U, the intense heat here concentrated is in part radiated to the atmosphere immediately above, in the space 31, and in part is conducted through the metal walls and radiated from the said surmounting minor U. The latter, which constitutes all parts of the top of the radiator that are likely to be touched, is consequently at a considerably lower temperature than is the top of any previously proposed radiator in which the products interiorly impinge against the top wall that is exposed to contact. Indeed this later is so annoying that it has in some cases been found important to provide a protecting exterior grating, to prevent scorching or burns. The products of combustion having lost considerable heat are materially lower in temperature when they strike the limbs of the U, on their downtake course. The heat they give to these limbs is transferred both inwardly toward the burner and intake, and outwardly into the apartment. Further transfer ocours as they pass through the base which, owing to its tl-shape, has a radiating surface whose vertical faces are in horizontal length practically tour times the length of the radiator. The said l l-shape contribu' es to the eiliciency of the radiator by extending the radiator surface, and by providing a pas sage for abundant air tlow upward through the middle portions oi. theradiator. The latter serves two important functions: it provides a sul'liciency of'air for combustion, so that the flame at each little gas discharge hole of the burner is perfect in appearance, indicating completeness of combustion; and it provides for a current air oi considerable volume to flow up through the interior, in addition to the air needed for combustion, for convection of heat about the apartment. This current of air begins to be heated by the inward walls of the base, and as it rises it takes heat from the inward faces of the major U' and from the sides of the intake passage and from the top of the major Ll, passing in ample volume over all of those parts of the radiator where the temperatures are extreme and issuing through the top with a speed of How which with itsfianks protected by the slower moving currents which rise from the sides of the radiators, causes prompt dissemination of heat through the apartment.

The end sections of the radiator are like the intermediate sections except that they do not have the depending intake portions 14. Each receives heat by conduction through the rod'i o and through its contact with its 1 ljacent intermediate section, and to a minor degree by convection of products of combustion leaking from the adjacent intermediate section tlu'oughthe hole provided for the tie rod 26. They therefore constitute, as it were, cushion ends which are of less dangerous temperature than the interior portions. One result, considered as a whole, is that it by this means possible to extract the heat from the products of combustion to any given degree of completeness with. considerably less radiator surface than would be necessary it the interior could not be maintained at such a high tempera ture, for this results in a rapid flow of heat into the air owing to the high temperature ditlercnce between it and the air.

In radiators heretofore used for hot Water or steam, no particular trouble :trom corrosion has been experienced so far as I am aware; but serious corrosive flaking of metal from the interior has been experienced with gas radiators, a no means has been known to avoid this. so far as I am aware, prior to ca u not collect to any considerable (ias rad tors heretofore used harmoves it.

monly used for steam and water, and have ridges at the bottom of each upstanding section, which make little valleys in Which water may collect to a depth of an inch or m ore. By filling these valleyswith any suitable material, such as cement, so that either water flows out by gravity. or lies in shallow valleys which are closely swept by the curvfient induced by the a1 "cial suction, the trouble from corrosion diminishes, for the moving gaseous current adually picks up any water over which it sweeps and soon. re-

The radiator illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodies these principles in that it is, in the first place, designed so that there is drainage by gravity oi? any water therein deposited, to the suction pipe; and, second, designed so that if there be any place from which the water does not in fact drain owing to the angle at which the radiator may beset, or owing to detect in manufacture, nevertheless such place will be so shallow that the currents moving over it will quickly pick up the water therefrom.

The burner and intake arrangements constitute another feature of importance in the invention. Heretotore. in gas radiators using artificial suction. it has been customary to provides closed burner box having rarefied contents into which a mixture of the combustible and the air for. its combustion are inducted. Numerous diflieulties and dangers hare attended this construction, which have been overcome and avoided by various ingenious contrivances, among which may be mentioned provision for shutt ng oil automatically the in-tlow ol gas in case the artificial suction producing means ceases operation or any cause, or in case the inliow oi air is prevented. The present invention providesan arrangement in which the apparatus is made automatically safe by other means. while at the Same time perfect combustion is attained and the products of combustion are completely and continuously removed from the apartment where the burner is located. This is accomi ilished by setting the lmruer so that it is not enclosed in a luirner box. but is freely open.

to the atmosphere oi the room, both for air to reach it and for the products of combustion to escape into said atmosphere in case the normal suction for drawing them throi b the radiator and suction pipe fails, y is so close to the constantly open intake o the latter that in normal operation the suction draws in all products of combustion. This is preiieral; l" arranged by making the int c an opening or hood of ample sizeiinn tel over the burner. The etitect is so powerful that although for convenience oi nmnuiacture there ray be clearance spaces between the depending intake portions 14L of adjacent sections, and although there may happen to be orifices of the burner immediately under the said spaces, nevertheless the flames therefrom and products are drawn toward one or the other of the adjacent intakes, instead of passing up between them and so into the air of the room. If suction fails, the flame nevertheless continues to burn. In that case such part of the products as do not pass out through the suction pipe go into the air of the room with such minor objectional results as attend combustion in the air of the room, but without the serious dangers of raw gas, unburned, or partly burned into the carboirmonoxide state, creeping along the system to some other radiator where a pilot light is burning to cause an explosion, or to escape and to poison the air.

The valve, which is within the casing 17, and. may be assumed to he of any suitable design, normally controlled by the current through wire it) from a thermostat, may have any other or additional means of control, such as manual actuating means. Only primary air of combustion need enter through the air shutter 18; and secondary air of combustion is added from the atmosphere when combustion occurs. A suitable screen 43 may be provided around the flame as a guard against approach and ignition of any foreign combustible material in the room.

It is recognized that in the process of transferring heat from the products of combustion to the atmosphere of the apartment through the medium of the radiator, all of the heat transferring means known to science, conduction. convection. and radiation, have a part, and hence the phrase heat radiating and its variations occurring herein are to be taken. in their broader or more popular sense as referring to the function performed by a radiator which, as an article of utility, is well. known, by whatever physical. process the transfer of the heat is accomplished, rather than in any strictly technical sense which might unnecessarily limit the meaning as used in the claims to anything less than the actual scope of the invention as herein. disclosed, and the term open air is used with reference to the burner to indicate a burner set in position for free supply of air from atmosphere and whose products of combustion can pass freely back into the atmosphere, as distinguished from those burners which are set in. a vacuum chamber where the continuance of successful or com plete combustion depends upon the maintenance of a suction applied to the vacuum chamber.

1 claim as my invention 1. Heat radiating apparatus comprising the combination of a gas burner, radiator. and a suction exhaust; said burner being set in the open air with parts of the radiator arranged around it so as to permit free access of air to it from the atmosphere and escape of products of combustion from it directly to the adjacent atmosphere, all at atmospheric pressure; said radiator, comprising a passage for said products of combustion, alternative to their said escape into atmosphere, which passage has an intake arranged. over said burner and conducts them away therefrom without escape into the adj acent atmosphere; said passage having be yond the intake a divided multi-tubular heat-radiating course, portions of which are arranged above, beside and below said burner, constituting a burner-guard; and said suction exhaust comprising apipe and suction means normally operating through said intake and passage.

2. Heating apparatus comprising the combination of artificial suction means; aradiator; and an open air burner in free communication with. the atmosphere; these being arranged for the suction means to draw the products of combustion of ti e burner through the radiator; said radiator comprising a portion with. rip-take from the burner and having a primary radiating surface for heat of the products of combustion therein, and a portion with down-take from the primary having a secondary radiating surface for heat of the products of combustionwhich are at lower temperature therein; said sec ondary radiating surface having the vertical surface of the radiator that is exposed to contact with persons, and the body of said portion which has said exposed radiating surface being arranged between said exposed radiating surface and the primary radiating surface, whereby the surfaces having extreme temperature are shielded by the secondary radiating surfaces.

3. Heating apparatus comprising the combination of artificial suction means; a radiator; and a burner; these being arranged with the suction means drawing products of combustion at the burner through the radiator; said burner being arranged in open air with free communication with the atmosphere; and said radiator having tubes extending upward from the burner and adapted to radiate heat from the fresh products of combustion, and other tubes connected thereto, through which the products of combustion afterwards pass, which constitute an entire side face of the radiator and thereby shield from external contact the said tubes holding the fresh products of combustion.

4t. Ileating apparatus comprising a burner and a radiator for the heat of the products of combustion at the burner, arranged around the burner; said radiator having a portion which is over the burner; part of said portion over the burner having a hollow which is in the main passage for prodnets of combustion from the burner through the radiator; and another part of said por-' tion over the burner, comprising the topmost part of the radiator, having a hollow which is above and has communication with the first mentioned hollow but is not in the said main passage.

Heating apparatus comprising aburner combined with a radiator having uptake passages with entrances close to the burner and downtake passages to which they de liver, and artificial suction means; there being an upper wall of the radiator to which the gases of combustion have access within the radiator, and a battle plate under it, against which the said gases impinge as they move upward, whereby the gases having intensest'heat are deflected from said upper wall.-

6. Heating apparatus comprising the combination oi a burner with a radiator for the products of combustion thereof having sections ot inverted U-shape plus a mid-leg comprising a short passage beginning in mid-height of the U and constituting intake thereof from the burner and conducting the products upward to the middle of the U and arranged to radiate heat of the products into the atmosphere between the limbs of the U.

7. Heating apparatus comprising the combination, with a burner, of radiating sec tions of approximately inverted U-shape, the middle of the U being surmounted by a U shaped extension; the burner being between the limbs 01" the first mentioned U, and there being in said sections an uptake entrance adjacent to the burner and a downtake passage for the products from the top of the first mention-ed U; and suction means.

8. Heating apparatus comprising the combination of inverted U-shape radiator sections with a burner arranged in open air be tween and shielded by the limbs of the U; there being a heat radiating intake for the products of combustion leading from the burner to the crest of the U, beginning at mid height of the U; the whole being arranged for the escape of the products of combustion with downward movement through the limbs of the U. I

9. Heating apparatus comprising the combination, with a burner comprising a pipe extending horizontally, of a hollow base closed to atmosphere at the top extending horizontally under it and adapted to constitute a suction manifold; a series of tubular radiating sections resting thereon, and having intake entrances adjacent to the burner, upward. passages therefrom, and passages leading thence down to said base, on each side of the said burner and uptake passages.

10. Heating apparatus comprising the combination with a burner of a radiator having a passage upward and thence downward for products of combustion of the burner, there being within the radiator an extension chamber, constituting an upward extension of the hollow space within the radiator above the direct connection of said upwardand downward passages and outside of the direct course of products of combustion; said hollow extension having walls of radiating material adapted to retain said. products within the radiator.

11. -Heating apparatus comprising the combination with a burner of a radiator having a passage upward and thence downward for products of combustion of the burner, there being a. hollow portion of the radiator comprising a chamber arranged in a loop over the direct connection. between said upward and downward passages, providing an external air space between the under wall of said loop and the top *all of said connection bet-ween upward and downward passages.

12. Heating 7 combination with a burner of a radiator having a passage upward for products of combustion of the burner and thence down ward onv two sides thereof, and a tubular radiator portion having its ends surmount ing and communicating with the said twosides and having its middle separated by an open air space. I

13. Heating apparatus having, in combination, a relatively long and narrow burner; I

and a radiator having radiating; uptake passages from the burner; radiating passages leading thence downward beside the intake and the burner; a vacuum manifold base; and openings through the base for atmospheric air to pass up under said burner and intake, and between said downward passages, below the burner, and between said downward and uptake passages about the burner.

14. Heating apparatus, having in combination, a relatively long and narrow burner; and a radiator having radiating uptake passages from the burner; radiating passages leading thence downward beside the intake and the burner; a vacuum manifold base; and openings through the base for atmospheric air to pass up under said burner and intake, and between said downward passages; said base being in the form of an H having a suction discharge at the middle of its bottom.

'15. Heating apparatus comprising artificial suction means, heat radiating tubes connected therewith, and a burner; said radiator tubes having uptake passages for products of combustion with openings at their bottoms and having downtake passages and laterally extending passages under them in the radiator for taking the products to ward said suction means; said passages being arranged. with allv water-holding surapparatus comprising the 'laces thereof closely exposed to the current of flowing gases.

16. Heating apparatus comprising in combination a burner and a radiator; the radiator having uptake passages for products of the burner closely adjacent thereto, with open bottoms for entrance of said products from the burner; passages from the upper portions of the first mentioned passages, extending thence downward; a closed pan into which they discharge; and a continuously open discharge from the pan, the pan being arranged with its bottom inclined to its said place of discharge.

17. Heating apparatus comprising the combination of artificial suction means; a radiator, comprising a series of heat radiating tubes, connected therewith; and a burner; and other heat radiating tubes arranged one at each end of said series; the tubes of said series being arranged directly in the main path of products of combustion from said burner to said suction means; and said end radiator tubes being arranged outside of the direct passage thereby to receive heat'from the products of combustion indirectly.

18. Heating apparatus comprising the combination of artificial suction means; a radiator, comprising a series of heat radiating tubes, connected therewith; and a burner; and other heat radiating tubes arranged one at each end of said series; the tubes of said series being arranged directly in the main path of products of combustion from said burner to said suction means; and said end radiator tubes being arranged with a relatively small connection for hot products of combustion to enter and pass through them.

19. Heating apparatus comprising the combination with a burner of a tubular radiator, and artificial suction means, the radiator having passages for direct flow of the products of combustion from the burner to the point of discharge of the radiator, discharging downward; combined with other passages for products of combustion, which are arranged parallel with portions of said direct flow passages and which, communieating at each end therewith, and lying outside of thedirect line of suction, comprise passages for indirect flow, whereby the radiator temperature is lower in them than in the first mentioned passages.

20. Heating apparatus comprising a series of heat radiating tubes arranged in parallel combined with mechanical suction means connected and normally operating to withdraw their gaseous contents regardless of thermal relations; and a burner for fluid hydrocarbon extending along the series; said tubes having orifices continuously open to the atmosphere for entrance of gases drawn by the suction; and said burner being arranged in a posit-ion where it is operative both with and without the suction, being sufliciently close to said orifices for its products of combustion to be drawn into and through the orifices by the suction when the suction is operating, and being sufiiciently outside of said tubes for free access of atmosphere to the burner for combustion and for free passage of the products of combustion into the atmosphere, when the said suction is not operating.

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this twenty second day of July, 1918.

IRA W. KNIGHT. 

